By Heather Michon, Editor
The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors approved a new advanced EMT position within the Department of Emergency Services during its June 3 meeting, creating a midlevel classification between basic EMTs and medics.
County Administrator Eric Dahl said the change reflects the additional training and certifications required of emergency medical providers to deliver a higher level of patient care.
Under the revised structure, basic EMTs, advanced EMTs, and medics will each have separate job descriptions that reflect their different levels of certification and responsibilities. The former advanced life support EMT position will be renamed “medic,” covering intermediate and paramedic providers.
Director of Emergency Services M.J. Fick said basic EMT training generally requires about 190 hours, plus clinical rotations, while advanced EMT training requires an additional 220 hours or more. A person must already be certified as an EMT before entering advanced EMT training.
“As it stands right now, those EMTs and AEMTs are in the same position,” Fick said. “They’re being paid the same amount.”
Fick said the advanced EMT level carries a much broader scope of practice than the basic EMT level. Advanced EMTs can administer more medications, start IVs, and perform additional emergency procedures. He said advanced EMTs can now administer epinephrine during cardiac arrest and fentanyl for pain management, both of which are outside the scope of a basic EMT.
“An AEMT can do more things in the back of an ambulance for the patient than an EMT can,” Fick said. “I think that it’s rightfully so that they’re compensated a little bit better.”
The projected annual salary and benefit increase is about $27,000. Supervisors approved a fiscal year 2027 budget transfer of $16,500 from emergency services operational budget lines to personnel lines, along with a $10,511 transfer from personnel contingency.
Supervisor Tim Hodge, who made the motion, said simply, “Thank you for taking care of your people.”
The motion passed unanimously.
VDOT
Supervisors also heard from Craig Simpson, VDOT’s new Louisa residency engineer, shortly after a resident used public comment to complain about mowing along Nahor Manor Road.
James von Ottenritter said VDOT crews had used his property and nearby properties for training, mowed beyond the roadside ditch and damaged private land, including an area he described as turtle habitat. He said crews had also mowed part of a neighbor’s property, creating access lanes that later became dumping areas.
“Stay off of private property,” von Ottenritter told supervisors, asking them to reach out to VDOT before mowing begins again.
Before Simpson began his quarterly update, supervisors asked him to look into the complaint and clarify how far VDOT’s right of way extends along smaller rural roads. Simpson said rights-of-way are typically about 50 feet, though they can vary by location, and that he would need to look into the specific situation on Nahor Manor Road.
Simpson’s broader VDOT update included 225 pothole repairs, 62,000 linear feet of ditching, five miles of shoulder repair, three miles of roadway grading and 89 bags of litter removed during the quarter.
Supervisors also raised concerns about litter along Route 250, particularly from unsecured loads headed to the convenience center; deteriorating pavement along Route 600; and crash reporting near sharp curves, where vehicles may leave the road, but cause too little damage to appear in state crash data.
Other Business
In other business, supervisors authorized county staff to advertise a July 1 public hearing on a proposed amendment to the county’s agreement with the Fluvanna County Radio Control Flying Club, which uses county-owned land near the former landfill on West River Road. The club has asked to replace its existing geotextile landing strip with asphalt at its own expense and extend its agreement with the county from five years to 10 years. Staff said the change would not affect operations at the convenience center.
Dahl also told supervisors that the James River Water Authority may have an opportunity to refund or refinance debt through the Virginia Resources Authority. Early estimates suggest potential savings of about $200,000 to $281,000 over the life of the bonds, shared between Fluvanna and Louisa counties.
Later, the board also approved a $63,629.71 performance incentive grant payment connected to the Coves at Monticello workforce housing development. Dahl said the payment is part of a previously approved development performance agreement and is based on the property’s increased assessed value after construction.
